The mask of Tak
by Bloodthirsty Muffin
Summary: 1991: Lara goes to a lonely island to find the mask of Tak. But she gets hurt by a tiger and wakes up in a castle...
1. The jungle

Chapter 1 – The jungle 

"When shall I come back?" asked the aviator of the plain which flew Lara Croft to a small island. She hang on a gangway from the plain to land.  
"I will tell you when I found what I'm looking for. Good Bye!" answered Lara and climbed down the gangway into the jungle. She smiled to the aviator when he flew away and he smiled back. He was a young man. But Lara didn't have time for that. She made sure that her weapons were loaded. Then she started walking. It was hot and she was happy to wear hot pants and a tight t-shirt. There was no way to go back to the continent. She was on a little island, named Sawu. It was such a tiny island that there was no way to go back to civilisation. Yeah, a small lonely island between Australia and the Philippines where no people lived. So it was told. But people from the islands around said that there would be a folk which still lived like people in the 18th century. All men who have ever gone to the island came back- dead.  
'Men came back dead' she thought and smiled. Why should she die? She's a woman. Only twenty-three years old. 1991 was the year when she had this adventure. It would be a very important experience for her life. Maybe she was still a bit green. Maybe.  
'One of my first applications! And such a important customer…Mathew Gable…owner of a museum in London…and I will find the mask of Tak for him' she remembered. Lara felt so happy when Mathew Gable had called her one day and told her to find the mask of Tak for him. A very old mask of a folk somewhere in Asia. His research said that the mask was here on Sawu. But where? That was Lara's Job.  
'But that can't be so hard' she considered optimistic. She walked on and thought of nothing bad. But then she heard something…something purring…like…like a tiger. Somewhere in this jungle. Lara took her weapons in her hands and looked around.  
'Come out…come out…wherever you are'  
She blew strand of hair out of her face and turned around. The purring got louder and it came nearer.  
'Where the hell…'  
A tiger jumped out of bush a directly in front of Lara. She fired on the tiger but it was too fast and dodged away. Lara however didn't give up. She shot on and kept her eye on the tiger. But suddenly it jumped at her and bit her into her right arm. She screamed and let go of her pistol. She fired into the tiger's face with the left hand. The tiger whined and let go of her arm.  
'Didn't thought of that, right you bastard?'  
She didn't really get that her arm was full of blood and the high grass and other plants turned into deep red too. The tiger had crept away from her because of the wound in its face. Still it had become only angrier and attacked Lara again. But the young archaeologist jumped away with a back flip and then to the right.  
'I will get you, you bitch' she cursed and tried to fire again. But what was that? 'Shit! No more ammo!' She threw away the pistol. 'I think there's still something in the other one' she guessed. The tiger attacked her but Lara jumped to the left. She tried to roll to her other pistol but then the tiger jumped on her and bit her into her right shoulder. She screamed and tried to pull him away- unsuccessfully. The last thing she heard was a shot. Then she fainted.


	2. Waking up

Chapter 2 – Waking up

"Uh…" she mumbled when the sun woke her up. She placed her right arm on her eyes. "Just five more minutes…" Then the arm attracted attention. Didn't the tiger bite her? Shouldn't it last at least three years until her arm and her shoulder would be fit again? She looked around. The room reminded her of Versailles, near Paris where the kings once lived. The bed was very big for only one person. Lara thought of the rumour that people lived here like in the 18th century. Was it true?  
"Is this possible?" she asked herself and stood up. She moved her arm and her shoulder to all directions and it didn't hurt. Then she looked into a mirror. Lara wore a white dress which women wore in the 18th century as undergarment.  
"It must be…"  
The tomb raider went to the window. Outdoor she could see people in clothes of the 18th century walking through a wonderful garden with a glorious fountain. Except for the jungle-like vegetation all looked like Europe.  
"So the rumours are true…the people here live like 300 years ago"  
Behind her a door opened. She turned around and saw a small, a bit pugdy, women in the door. She was Asian.  
"You woke up, my dear" she greeted her in Spanish.  
'These people speak Spanish? I thought Chinese or something…' she thought surprised.  
"Yes, I did…But where am I?" Lara wanted to know. The woman smiled.  
"You're in the castle of the king" she answered. "He saved you of this tiger which attacked you. He and his cortege had gone hunting."  
"King?" Lara requested.  
"Yes and he said we shall treat you like a princess because you're so pretty." The women chuckled. "Or maybe like a queen? However…please come with me" she begged and went to a wall which wasn't a wall but a door.  
'Like in those European castles in France and Austria…secret passages'  
"Now come on" the women repeated. Lara followed her.  
"By the way, my name is Juanita."  
"I'm Lara, Lara Croft."

Juanita brought to a big bathroom with a huge bathtub which was already filled with water and soap. There were many more women who had to work in the bathroom. Most of them came to Lara and took away her dress. Then they placed her in the tub and washed her with different oils which smelled strange but wonderful. Lara didn't really like that.  
'I can wash myself ladies!' she thought but then let them. They had ably and bland hands. Then they put her into bright blue crinoline dress with white wide sleeves. And she had to wear a corset!  
"Can't breath…" she whispered and at once the ladies eased the corset so Lara could breath again. A dress with many vertices, hooks and eyes. It was new for her to walk in such a thing.  
"Now you're really looking like a queen" Juanita commented her wonderful dress. "The king wants to have dinner with you, only he and you" Juanita told.  
"Only with me? Why that?" Lara wanted to know.  
"Well, he seems to like you" Juanita explained.  
'The king wants to eat with me? Maybe he knows where I can find the mask.'


	3. The dinner

Chapter 3 – The dinner

Lara was conducted by Juanita and two other ladies into the dinner-room where the meal was already arranged. The whole table was full of specialties Lara didn't know and only two chairs were there. Only for her and the king.  
'Why is the king so interested in me…? Oh…perhaps he's a lecher' Lara worried and sat down on the chair.  
"We have to leave you now like the king ordered" Juanita whispered into Lara's ear and went away with the other ladies. Lara was alone in the room accept for a pianist and some violinists who played classic music behind a curtain. She looked over the desk. Most of the specialities she had never seen before but it looked appetising. The plate in front of her was empty and eight forks, knifes and spoons lay to the left and right of the plate.  
'For what do I need all that?' she asked herself and took one of the forks into her hand. Then the great door through which Lara came too was opened by two men. One person went through the door, only one. A man with very fine clothes of the 18th century. His black hair was tied up to a braid. He had a very pretty Asian face and he smiled.  
"Good evening, my lady" he greeted her friendly.  
"Good evening, mister…" Lara began. Then she remind that he was the king! "Good evening your majesty" she greeted back.  
'And you thought of a lecher, Lara…' she laughed in mind about her thoughts. He didn't look like a lecher. He was a young good looking man.  
"I'm happy you're fit again" he told and sat down on his chair in opposite to Lara.  
"Thank you."  
"I see your can speak our language. First I thought you'd be a stranger like all the others who already came here. Where are you from, my lady?"  
Someone brought a strange looking soup. But it looked quite appetising.  
"I'm from very far away…you didn't hear of Great-Britain, did you?"  
Both began to eat. It tasted delicious.  
"No, I have to admit, I haven't. But here we aren't interested in the world behind the horizon. Oh, what bad manners I've got…my name is Felipe…I'm sorry for my amiss bearing" he excused himself.  
"Of course" Lara laughed and drank something of the wine an servant had brought. "My name is Lara Croft."  
"Sounds very strange…but pretty" he paid her a compliment.  
"Thank you" Lara thanked him and smiled. King Felipe seemed to be a very nice person. "How did you find me?" Lara wanted to know.  
"I was on hunt with a small attendance. We heard a tiger fighting and we rode there. We saw you fighting with the animal and shot the tiger. I told my cortege they should bring you to the castle. The best doctors of the island came to heal you. Well…it was no problem with excimenta."  
"Excimenta? What's that?"  
"It' a herb which heals all wounds very fast. Although you had to sleep three days"  
"I slept three days?"  
"Yes, but now you're fit again and that's the main thing."  
Lara was reminded of the mask of Tak.  
"King Felipe, do you know what…the mask of Tak is?" Lara wanted to know.  
"Tak…? Tak…" The king caressed through his hair.  
"What do you know?"  
"Earlier…400 years ago…the people here had another religion. Now we're catholic. At that time the people believed in a god, named Tak. Of course there was a temple built for him. Perhaps you'll find this mask there…if this temple still exists."  
"Why shouldn't it?"  
The servant brought the main dish.  
"People from far away came here. They taught us to be catholic. Whatever they looked for, apparently they haven't found it. They went away again and we lived on in peace. Well, after that all believed in the bible: All cursed the temple of Tak and maybe they destroyed it."  
"Oh…" Lara sighted.  
"Is that so important for you?" the king wanted to know. Lara nodded. "I could prepare a small troop for you. With this troop you can go and look for the temple and the mask" Felipe suggested.  
"That would be wonderful!" she said happily. "But…your majesty…you know less than even a day and you give me a troop? Isn't that a bit…careless?"  
"Let's say I've got a good knowledge of human nature."  
The king smiled and looked straight into Lara's eyes. Normally Lara hated people looking straight into her eyes. She felt so observed. But his gaze was different. And she liked it.  
"I'm happy to hear that."  
"Yes…Lara, you should eat more. Three days without something to eat are too hard even for a strong woman like you" he remarked and smiled again. Yes, now she noticed that she was very hungry it seemed that she had forgotten her hunger because of this agitation.  
"You're right" Lara said and began to gorge the meals. The king sat there and was impressed by Lara's way to eat. "Can you tell me what's that?" Lara asked a servant and pointed on her half eaten meal.  
"That's possum mash with squirrel frying and rabbit dip, I think" the servant answered.  
Lara spew the things in her mouth out again. Felipe looked surprised at her.  
"I'm…I'm sorry…" she excused herself.  
The rest of the evening Lara told the king about Great-Britain, her job there and why she had to find the mask. (And she asserted that she wouldn't eat like that next time.) They looked at the sunset when Lara had accustomed herself to the crinoline dress (well, a bit).  
"Tomorrow there will be a prom for you, my special guest" Felipe told Lara on a balcony. Lara was surprised.  
"A prom only for me? Don't you think that's a bit…immoderate?" she asked. The king came nearer to her and caressed around her face. That felt good for Lara.  
"I'm a king, Lara…I can have whatever I want…" he whispered into her ear. Then he wanted to kiss her but he stopped. "I want to have breakfast with you tomorrow, Lara" he told her with a gently voice and left her. She looked after him and touched around her lips.  
"I will come" she mumbled.


	4. Field trip with the troop

Chapter 4 – field trip with the troop

The next day when Lara went to the breakfast-room with Juanita and two other ladies she could hear the other people whispering about her, the king's guest.  
"They all look up to you" Juanita said quietly. But Lara didn't really listen. She was very impressed of the king and had thought about him the half night. Maybe she was a bit in love with him…  
"What's your plan today, your majesty?" Lara wanted to know while eating.  
"The same like everyday. Audiences, receptions…nothing special. I have chosen ten of my best men for you. So you don't have to be afraid."  
Both laughed.  
"By the way, what happened with my things?"  
"The things you had with you when I found you? This weird bag is in my room. Some of the things in it look dangerous" he explained.  
"Yes…" Lara smiled.  
Juanita was shocked when she heard that Lara wanted to wear male clothes while finding this temple. Still she brought her male clothes and even sewed them a bit tighter with the purpose to let it seem more female. And Lara liked that.  
The men who should come along with her looked competent. So she was optimistic.

The eleven persons got on their eleven horses. Lara tried to remember her riding lesson when she was twelve. She told the troop to look in groups of two for hints which could help to find the temple. Every hint should had to be told. So they started their field trip.

The soldiers were very amiable and showed Lara many hints but most of them were useless. She herself looked alone for clues with her white horse. There was no footpath so Lara had to fight a bit against the rampant tropical plants with a sword she has gotten in the castle.  
'That's the bad side of the jungle' she thought. After she had fought against some lianas she could identify a waterfall. She dismounted her horse and went to the little clearance.  
"Wow…" she whispered when she stood on a cliff. Two-hundred metres below her was a lake And five-hundred metres away from her was the waterfall. Lara looked down. Some fish jumped in the water. It seemed to be deep.  
'I can't resist…' she thought. She went some steps back and took a start up. Then she jumped with a header down in the water. It was such a great feeling, she felt almost as if she could fly. She doused into the water with a big "splash".  
"Great…" she whispered when she turned up again. Lara swam to the bank and pulled herself out of the water.  
"Okay, now I'm wet all over but it was worth it" she said to herself and wrung out her hair.  
'Now I have to climb up again…'

So she hit her road which proved harder than she had thought. Again she had to fight against the endless plants.  
'Why must this jungle be so…'  
Then she stumbled across something and fell down.  
'That had to happen!'  
She got up again and saw that she had fallen over tree root. She rapped some dirt of her arms and looked around. On her right she could see a part of a stature. A statue like one she had once seen in Cambodia. Lara went there and paid attention not to stumble again. The tomb raider removed the rampant ivy and a whole Cambodian stature appeared.  
'That must be a hint!'  
Lara analysed the stature and also removed too the ivy next to the stature. On the right of the stature's right there was a wall, furnished with Asian looking characters. And right to this wall this wall was another Cambodian looking stature.  
'That must be the entrance to the temple!' Lara was glad.  
She tried to read the characters. They looked similar the old Chinese characters. So Lara translated:

_Who wants to enter the holy temple of our high adored god Tak has to come when the first sunbeams are here to spend power to the one who tries to go on holy base and to find the most precious treasure a believer of Tak can have, the face of the highest god in the world!_

'With "the face of the highest god" they must have meant the mask…so I have to come when the sun rises.' Then she thought of King Felipe. 'Tomorrow I'll be far away…but what about him? Shall I leave him?' she requested herself. 'Can I leave him?'  
"Lady Croft" a voice behind her said. Lara turned around and saw two of her soldiers. "Have you found something?" they asked. "And why are you wet?"  
"Long story…Yes, I have found something. I think this is the entrance to the temple" Lara answered.  
The soldiers eyed the wall with the Chinese looking characters.  
"Shall we prise it open?"  
"No!" Lara disliked the suggestion. "If I want to go in there I have to come when the sun rises. So I'll come back tomorrow. We can go back to the castle now" Lara decided. "Where are the others?"  
"There" one of the men said and pointed at the waterfall you could still recognise.  
"In the waterfall?" Lara asked sarcastic.  
"No, in a small village over there. It's a fisher village."  
"Then, let's go there."

It was a pleasure for Lara to visit the population of Felipe's kingdom. The small village was populated with lots of nice people who greeted Lara friendly. They told Lara that the fish which were caught here were eaten in the king's castle. Their for they brought only the best fish to the castle and the fish were caught by strong men in boats which looked like canoes. After half-an-hour she and the soldiers had to go back to the castle. This night should be a prom for _her_. So they went back to Lara's horse and rode back to the castle were the prom was already organized by the best organizers of the kingdom.

Lara saw Felipe when she wanted to go to her room. And Felipe saw her. He was surrounded by people who wanted to know something about the prom.  
"Hello Lara" he greeted her and smiled.  
"Hello Fe… your majesty" Lara greeted back. In spite of all the people around him he went to Lara and took her hand. Her heart pounded wildly.  
"Please go upstairs to your room. The best tailors are already working for your tonight's dress and they need your gauges" he asked her to go. Then he had to care for the other people around him again.  
Lara knew that she had blushed.


	5. Dancing queen

Chapter 5 – Dancing queen

"Shall I choke!" she snarled at one of the tailors after they had strengthened the corset. "I know why the women had broken ridges at that time" she mumbled. The women eased the corset a bit so Lara could breath again. She didn't know what dress the ladies sewed for her. She only saw that it was red.  
"Lady Lara! They're the best tailors of the kingdom!" Juanita reproved Lara.  
"Therefore they don't have to asphyxiate me!"  
"Who wants to be beautiful, must suffer!"  
Lara looked faithless.

"Yes and I think her name is Lara! Lady Lara…and she is from far away, unbelievable isn't it?" the other ladies in the festively decorated ballroom whispered behind their pockets. All had heard that the king had let the best tailors of the kingdom come, only for Lara's dress.  
"I bet she's only thinking of herself!" another women said.  
But the other ladies challenged this statement.

"Oh my god!" Lara said when she saw her custom-built dress in the mirror. "Cinderella would be jealous…" And really, she would!  
"Everybody will be jealous! I haven't seen a more beautiful women in a more beautiful dress! Oh, I want to see the impressed faces of all the other women when they look at your dress!" Juanita swarmed.  
"I'm already impressed of my face…I would call this dress a dream in red!"  
Lara stated to spin around. Then a lady ran into the room.  
"The king is already waiting! Get started!"  
Only one second later all the other women started to work on Lara's hair and her make-up.

"Lady Lara! Is that you?" the king asked surprised.  
"That sounds so negative" Lara replied smiling.  
"I'm sorry…but you're looking so queenly…"  
"Thank you, your majesty."  
They stared at each other for ages.  
"Let's go to the association, Lara. I think they're waiting for us."  
"I'm up for it."

"His majesty the king in company of Lady Lara Croft" a man announced in the ballroom and anon Felipe and Lara went downstairs.  
"Yes, that's her! Isn't she pretty! Oh, and what a dress…!" all the women whispered in the ballroom and also the men whispered about the wonderful pair.  
"They're impressed of you" Felipe spoke under his breath to her.  
"I think they're impressed of _us_" Lara answered .

Then the dancing began. Felipe and Lara started with the first dance and soon all the others in the room took their part in. Lara reminded of what she had learned about dancing on a ball when she had been a child.  
'I would never have thought that the dancing lessons would make themselves paid in one of my adventures' she was surprised at herself.  
"You're a wonderful dancer" Felipe complimented at her.  
"Really? I haven't danced a long time."  
"I would want to dance with no other woman."  
She looked at him unbelievingly.  
"You're the king of this island. You could dance with every other woman."  
"But you're the dancing queen."  
Lara smiled.


	6. Marriage intentions

Chapter 6 - Marriage intention

She woke up in Felipe's bed- without any clothes next day. She knew what had happened last night and it had been a wonderful night. She sniggered. Then she looked to her right. Felipe wasn't there. Lara stood up and put on her undergarment. Suddenly she was reminded of the mask.  
'Maybe…I can wait…only until tomorrow' she thought but she knew she wanted only to put it off. She looked around her and saw her bag on a chair in the corner. She opened it and checked whether all her things were in it. And they were. Then she saw a small bell next to the door. She knew that those bells were used to call servant. So she rang it and some seconds later a lady came in.  
"Can you tell me where the king is?" Lara wanted to know.  
"He's in his working room. Shall I bring you there?" the lady answered. Lara nodded. "I will bring you a bathrobe." After some minutes the lady came back with a bathrobe and Lara put it on. Then the lady conducted her to Felipe.  
"Lara!" he greeted her amused when she came in. The lady stayed outside. They embraced and kissed each other. "Good that you are already up."  
She looked outside. The sun hadn't risen yet.  
"Why?" she requested.  
"The tailors need your gages again."  
"Do they want to make another dress for me?"  
"Yes, a wedding dress."  
Lara couldn't believe it.  
"A wedding dress…? For what do I need a wedding dress?"  
He laughed.  
"For our wedding of course."  
She giggled.  
"Why are you laughing?"  
"Wasn't that…a…joke…?"  
"Why should it?"  
Their it became clear to her that he meant it serious!  
"Listen…listen Felipe…I'm twenty-three and…"  
"You don't really think that you're too old? No way! You'll be the queen…"  
'It's enough for me to be the dancing queen!'  
But she couldn't merry him. She was a tomb raider and not a wife. And Felipe wouldn't understand that. He was a king and got was used to get what he wanted. That was naturally for him. Lara reminded her fiancé at that time. He had been like this too. He took it naturally that Lara loved him. And exactly that made him so loveless. The same would happen with Felipe. She didn't want to have this roller coaster of feelings again.  
'Okay…I have to find the mask and then I'll leave this island…'  
"Yes, of course I'll be your queen!" she lied. "Felipe…I'll go to the tailors now."  
"Yes, go."

'I'm sorry, Felipe but I can't merry you…and I couldn't merry another man…I'm too young and I don't live for a man…not yet' she thought when she went back to Felipe's bedroom. There she allotted the lady to bring her the clothes she wore when she had come here. Some minutes later the attendance brought her what she wanted.  
"Why do you need that?" she wanted to know.  
"I'll leave you."  
"What? But…what about the wedding?"  
"There will be no wedding" Lara answered when she wore her good old hot pants. She felt better to wear trousers than a dress. She put on her holster and tucked her pistols in it. The tomb raider looked into the mirror.  
'Yes…Lara is back…and she's still single'  
She had to giggle.  
"You can't defy! He's a king! I have to tell him that!"  
She wanted to run away but Lara grabbed her on the shoulder and hustled her to the wall. Then she hit her on her neck and the woman fell down. The servant was unconscious.  
"I'm sorry but you mustn't tell them…"  
Then Lara went to the balcony. She climbed down the tree next to the veranda and sneaked to the gate which was watched by two men on horses. Lara hid behind a bush and sneaked on to the men. Suddenly she sprinted to the men, pulled out her pistols and held them at gunpoint.  
"One of you goes away and the other one opens the gate, okay?" she ordered them. They obeyed. After the gate was open Lara took one of the horses and rode into the forest.  
'I must be there before the sun rises!' she thought and rode faster and faster.

"Your majesty! Your majesty!" the men shouted when they ran into the room where the king worked.  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
"Lady Lara Croft…she…she is away! She rode into the forest after she held her pistols at gunpoint!"  
Felipe couldn't believe it. Lara couldn't have went away…she loved him,…didn't she…?  
"Go away…" the king told the soldiers. "Go away!" she shouted once more. Then they left the room. Felipe went to the window.  
'Why Lara…? Why?'  
He cried.


	7. The masc of Tak

Chapter 7 – The mask of Tak

Lara rode through the forest- the same way as yesterday. She didn't have much time. Soon the sun would rise up. Then she came to the cliff, dismounted the horse and jumped down into the water like yesterday. She swam to the bank and pulled herself out of the water. Lara tried to remember where she found the temple and soon she was there. In some minutes the sun rose and she was short of breath. But then the first sunbeams shone into the jungle and they shone on the gate to the temple. The gate went 'poof'. Lara went between some leftover sparks into the temple. Holy base, so it was called. In this room there was only a huge scale which was held by a huger stature. A Cambodian stature- maybe it should constitute Tak? She wasn't afraid when she went to the scale. Under it was a stone in which was engraved:

_If you want to see him, the god, show that you're a attendant and give him a gift!_

'So they want to have a gift…aha…'  
Lara took her bag and foraged in it. Then she found something eatable, an instant meal.  
'Not the greatest gift but I think it's enough.'  
She put the instant meal on the scale and waited. The meal began to go 'poof'. Then another gate opened next to the stature and the scale.  
'Thank you, Tak' she thought and bowed in front of the statue. Then she went through the gate. It was dark, only some torches lighted the room a bit. Lara took one of them and lighted herself the way. Her other hand was near to her pistols all the time. Here and there snakes sidled but Lara guessed that they wouldn't try to eat her. Too much carcasses lay on the floor. But then she saw a light at the end of the corridor.  
'Am I already dead?' she requested herself and smirked. The light in the distance was so bright that she dropped the torch and took her pistols out of her holster. She knew what could happen. Ghosts, monsters, living statures or worse. She held her left hand before her eyes. After some seconds she had gotten used to the light and abated her hand and saw the room.  
"Awesome…!" she mumbled. The room was so big and filled up with glittering gold and nothing else. But she knew that she mustn't touched it. Everybody would have known that they mustn't touch anything. Otherwise they'd die. Carefully she went on the small path which obviously had to show her the way to the mask. At the end of it there were stairs and she walked them up to the desk, on which something seemed to be. Then she stood in front of the desk. She couldn't believe what she saw. It was mask, although…  
She took it in her hands.  
"It's…made of…wood…"  
Actually it should have been of value. Gold, silver…something like that.  
"That's surprising…but okay"  
She gripped the mask into her bag.  
'Mission complete!' she thought. She thought of Felipe. 'I think I don't have time for love…and least of all in my adventures.'  
"So that was all you looked for! A piece of wood!" someone shouted. Lara looked around.  
"Felipe!" she shouted back when she saw him. "What are you doing here?"  
"I'm finding out why you left me!"  
"Do you really think you would understand?"  
"Is it because of the gold?" he asked and took one the gold pieces.  
"No, don't do that!" Lara shouted at him. He looked unbelievingly at her. For three seconds everything was quiet. Then the earth started to shake.  
"That's an earthquake!" Lara screamed and ran downstairs. She ran back to the gate and pulled him with her. Rocks fell down but thanks to their guardian angel they weren't squashed. Then they ran through the dark corridor and on to the room with the stature and the scale.  
"What the…?" Felipe began but Lara pulled him with her again. The gate to the outside world began to close! With a bobbin they left the temple. Only one second later and they would have been dead. They were winded. Lara looked around. That must have been the whole army of the island which stood around them. Although…she wanted to go.  
"Lara…" Felipe afforded. "Stay here!"  
She stopped.  
"Why should I?" Lara requested and turned around. "I don't want to marry. I want to live my life. I want to go on adventures. I want to see the world…! I'm sorry Felipe but…" she turned around again and walked on. "I have learned something so important for my whole life. I don't live for you. I live for tomb raiding."  
She wanted to leave this island. She knew why. No one saw it but…she cried.  
"Kill her…" he mumbled. The soldiers didn't understand him. "I said kill her!"


	8. The flight

Chapter 8 – The flight

Lara climbed up the rock face. She went the same way as yesterday when she found the temple. But then she heard shots. She looked around and saw all the soldiers shooting at her. But the forest was very abundantly covered with vegetation so it was hard for them to hit her. She climbed on and on. The guns were old, three hundred years old! But some soldiers climbed near to her. Lara hurried.  
One of them grabbed her by her feet but she fended and he fell down the rock face. Other soldiers came nearer and nearer! And the shots got more and more. Lara sweated. Only some more metres and she would be at the head. And then…she did it!  
She already saw the fishers in their canoe-like boats. She ran into the shallow water to the boat and hustled them out of the boat. The soldiers were already there and ran into the water too. Lara bustled into water with the boat. Soon it was deep enough and she jumped into the boat. She tried to come away with the paddle. Then the soldiers started to shoot again but Lara was already too far away. The current was very strong. But she knew that it wasn't over yet. She came to a turnoff and it was clear that one of the ways would direct her to the waterfall- toe death. But which one was the fatal one? She had to trust her feeling and tried to canoe to the right, the narrower one. She did it with lots of power  
'Oh no! Rapids!'  
As if she wasn't wet enough yet she had to come through rapids. Lispingly she controlled the canoe over the spiky stones. Some minutes which occurred to her like an eternity she had to fight and then…it was over. No more drift.  
"Is it over?" she requested herself and looked up. She saw the ocean. The had left the island.  
"Hurray!" she screamed into the air. Some seagulls flew over her. She did it. Lara took her bag and looked in it for her walkie-talkie. She turned it on and wondered why it still worked.  
"Brad?" she asked. Brad was her aviator who had flown her there. "Please…come and take me back to the continent!"


	9. Back home

Chapter 9 – Back home

She strolled through the museum. Some weeks after the presentation in the museum because she had found the mask. It was a great event. Now she stood in front of the mask. It was placed in a display cabinet, on a podium. It was segregated by a red cord so nobody could come nearer than one metre.

_The mask of Tak_

_Found by Lara Croft,_

Was engraved in a small tab underneath the display cabinet. But what kind of adventure she had sampled no one would know. She didn't want to write about the island and that the rumour was true that people lived there like three hundred years ago. And that there was a king…Felipe…  
'Try to forget, Lara. You know that it was right' she thought and caressed around her lips. Then someone tipped her on her shoulder. Lara turned around. Behind her stood a good looking man with glasses. He smiled.  
"Excuse me, but…you're Lara Croft, aren't you?" he requested gently.  
"Yes, I am" Lara replied and smiled too.  
"Have you found more of those…mysterious things?" he wanted to know.  
"Yes, I have. There are many very valuable things in my mansion."  
"But I think there is one thing that is of more value than those artefacts."  
"I'm sorry but no man will find my love"  
She went away.  
'No man…not now…after all I live for tomb raiding…and nothing else.'  
She left the museum and went into the sun. She mounted her Harley and started the engine. Then she drove away.

**The end**

And what did we learn in this story? Lara just lives for tomb raiding and my english is rubbish! And friend of mine who lived once in the US corrected the story for me. Thank you Theresa!


End file.
